Prayer is a cry in the dark, a child's longing for home, and a hollowed soul's seeking of fulfilment. Prayer is a two-fingered salute to the hopeless cynicism of endless false promises and a bunting-waving celebration of love in action. Prayer is a sacred space, found in the midst of the unholiest of battlegrounds and in the desolation of loss. Prayer is a memory of long lost conversations with wise elders and an exuberance of youthful anticipation. Prayer is a shared longing, a whispered dream and an open conversation. Prayer is a revolutionary act It is hope in despair And a grace-filled weaving of love's intent. May God bless us with the desire to pray, that we might better act,

God of all understanding, the more I learn about your holy justice the more I realise that even my prayers can be riddled with sin. In praying for other people I have thought that I know best what they need. I have taken the seat of judgement and found others wanting. I have not challenged the ground of my own understanding, allowing prejudice and stereotypes to flourish unchecked. Forgive me. Help me to kneel before your throne of grace with both confidence and humility. Remind me to leave the judging and directing to you. Enable me to pray for others not by way of the gulfs that divide us but via the love in which you hold us all in common, revealed to us in Jesus. Amen.